UPawula Nabanye Bemukelwa Kahle EMelitha
1Kwathi sesifikile endaweni ephephile, sezwa ukuthi leso siqhingi kuthiwa iMelitha. 2Abantu bakhona basiphatha ngobubele obungavamile, sebebase umlilo, basemukela sonke, ngenxa yokuba lalina futhi kumakhaza. 3UPawula esethezile isixha sezinswani, wasifaka emlilweni, kwathi ngenxa yokushisa kwaphuma inyoka, yazithandela esandleni sakhe. 4Lapho abantu bendawo bebona isilwane silenga esandleni sakhe, bakhuluma bodwa, bathi: “Impela lo muntu ungumbulali, kuthi noma esesinde olwandle, kodwa ukuLunga kungavumi ukuba aphile.”
5Kepha wasinikinela isilwane emlilweni, akaze alimala. 6Babheka belindele ukuthi usazovuvuka noma afumbeke phansi ngokushesha, afe, kodwa sebelinde isikhathi eside, bebona engehlelwa ngozi, base beguqula umqondo, bathi ungunkulunkulu.
UPawula Uphilisa Iziguli
7Kuleyo ndawo kwakukhona izwe lesikhulu sesiqhingi, igama lesikhulu kwakunguPhubhiliyu, sona sasamukela sasiphatha kahle; sahlala izinsuku ezintathu. 8Kepha uyise kaPhubhiliyu wayenomkhuhlane, elele phansi. UPawula wangena lapho elele khona, wathandaza, wabeka izandla phezu kwakhe, wamphilisa. 9Sekwenzekile lokho, iningi labantu basesiqhingini baletha nabanye ababenezifo, baphiliswa. 10Basihlonipha kakhulu impela, kwathi mhla sihamba ngomkhumbi, basipha esikudingayo.
11Emva kwezinyanga ezintathu, sahamba ngomkhumbi wase-Aleksandriya owawume esiqhingini ukuze kwedlule ubusika, owawunophawu lwamaWele. 12Sesingene echwebeni eSirakhuse, sahlala izinsuku ezintathu. 13Sesisuka lapho sagwegwa saze safika eRegiyu, ngokuba kwavuka umoya waseningizimu, kwathi ngosuku lwesibili safinyelela ePhutheyoli.
UPawula Ufika ERoma
14Safumana khona abazalwane, basimema ukuba sihlale nabo izinsuku eziyisikhombisa; emveni kwalokho safika eRoma. 15Kuthe abazalwane sebezwile ngathi basuka khona, beza kithi bezosihlangabeza, baze bafika e-Aphiyo Foru naseThresi Thaberne. Kwathi ebabona uPawula, wabonga uNkulunkulu, wama isibindi. 16Sesifikile eRoma, uPawula wavunyelwa ukuhlala yedwa enebutho elimlindayo.
17Kwathi sekwedlule izinsuku ezintathu, wabiza labo abadumile babaJuda ukuba beze kuye. Sebebuthene, wathi kubo: “Madoda, bazalwane, nakuba mina kungekho lutho oluphambene nesizwe namasiko okhokho engilwenzileyo, nokho ngisuswe eJerusalema ngiboshiwe, nganikelwa ezandleni zamaRoma. 18Athi esengihlolile, afuna ukungikhulula, ngokuba athi awafumani cala kimi elifanelwe ukuba ngife. 19Kepha abaJuda bakuphikisa lokho, ngaze ngaphoqeka ukuba icala ngiledlulisele eRoma kuKhesari, hhayi ngoba ngimangalela isizwe sakithi ngento ethile. 20Ngakho-ke ngenxa yaleso sizathu, nginibizele lapha ukuba nginibone, ngikhulume nani, ngokuba kungenxa yethemba lika-Israyeli ngiboshiwe ngaleli ketanga.”
21Base bethi kuye: “Thina akukho ncwadi evela eJudiya esiyitholile emayelana nawe, futhi akukho muntu kubazalwane ofikile ukubika noma ukukunyembenya. 22Kepha thina siyathanda ukuzwa ukuthi ucabangani, ngokuba siyazi ngaleli hlelo ukuthi liyaphikiswa ezindaweni zonke.”
23Sebemmisele usuku, baya kuye endlini ngobuningi, wabacacisela efakaza ngombuso kaNkulunkulu, ebanxenxa ngoJesu ethathela emthethweni kaMose nakubaphrofethi, kusukela ekuseni kwaze kwaba kusihlwa. 24Abanye baneliswa yilokho okwakhulunywayo, kodwa abanye abakholwanga. 25Kwathi ukuba bangezwani bodwa, base behlakazeka, uPawula wakhuluma izwi laba linye lokuthi: “UMoya oNgcwele wakhuluma kahle ngo-Izaya umphrofethi kokhokho benu, ethi:
26“ ‘Hamba uye kulesi sizwe, uthi:
“Niyakuzwa nokuzwa, kepha ningaqondi,
niyakubona nokubona, ningabonisisi,
27ngokuba inhliziyo yalesi sizwe
seyaba buthuntu;
sizwa kanzima ngezindlebe,
amehlo aso siwavalile,
funa mhlawumbe sibone ngamehlo,
sizwe ngezindlebe,
siqonde ngenhliziyo, siphenduke;
ngisiphilise.” ’
28“Ngakho-ke makwazeke kini ukuthi le nsindiso kaNkulunkulu ithunyelwe kwabezizwe; bona-ke bayakulalela.”
29Kwathi esekushilo lokho, abaJuda baphuma benokuphikisana okukhulu phakathi kwabo.
30UPawula wahlala iminyaka emibili epheleleyo endlini yakhe ayeyiqashile, emukela bonke abeza kuye, 31eshumayela umbuso kaNkulunkulu, efundisa ngaso sonke isibindi izindaba zeNkosi uJesu uKhristu, ngaphandle kokuphazanyiswa.
